First contact
This is an article about first contact situations and procedures. If you are looking for information about the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, visit First Contact (episode). If you are looking for information about the movie, visit Star Trek: First Contact.'' The term first contact describes the first official encounter between representatives of two races or governments. Occasionally, the official first contact takes place years or even decades after members of the species involved have first met. Typically, first contact is only initiated by the Federation if a civilization is sufficiently advanced and has developed interstellar travel (via warp drive, for example). Contact with more primitive civilizations is prohibited by the Prime Directive. It has been stated that approaching scientists and intellectual leaders first, in private, is a preferred method of first contact, on the assumption that they would have minds open enough to easily grasp the concept of alien life. ( ) Captain McCoullough revised the first contact protocols for Starfleet. Following first contact with the enigmatic Wadi, Benjamin Sisko wished McCoullough was in his place. ( ) The [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]]'s captain Jean-Luc Picard made 27 official first contacts prior to 2379. ( ) See also * List of First Contacts Human-Vulcan first contact The term First Contact is also used to specifically refer to the first official contact between Humans and extraterrestrials. First Contact took place on the evening of April 5, 2063, when a Vulcan survey ship, the ''T'Plana-Hath'', having detected the warp signature of the Phoenix, touched down in Bozeman, central Montana, where they met with the Phoenix's designer and pilot, Zefram Cochrane. This event is generally referred to as the defining moment in Human history, eventually paving the way for a unified world government and, later, the United Federation of Planets. Well documented at the Vulcan Science Directorate and Space Council, but against common Human knowledge, a small Vulcan survey ship crash-landed in Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, a mining town, in 1957 prior to official First Contact. Sent to investigate the launch of Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, the vessel's impulse manifold began to malfunction during the third week of intelligence gathering, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The commander of the vessel perished in the crash, leaving command to T'Mir, T'Pol's second foremother. Unable to confirm the transmission of their distress call, having exhausted their emergency rations within one week, and unwilling to resort to "savagery," the remainder of the Vulcan crew was ultimately compelled to enter Carbon Creek in disguise. Without currency, T'Mir and Mestral were able to obtain sustenance in the form of pretzels and water at the local bar. Mestral, however, confident in his knowledge of simple geometry, was able to obtain currency, and, consequently, "cryogenic" (i.e. frozen) food, through a game of pool. As the weeks wore on, the crew took up various employments and increased their interactions with the Humans. T'Mir, Mestral, and Stron, nevertheless, managed to keep their existence as aliens a secret. ( ) Other notable first contacts "Gods of Olympus"-Human first contact Around 2700 BC a group of extraterrestrial beings landed on Earth in what was eventually to be known as Ancient Greece. These aliens had powers far superior to that of Humans, being able to control the environment, to change physical shape, to travel to another location in an instant, as well as to control life and death of other beings. While effectively one of the first instances of contact between Humans and extraterrestrial civilizations, the Humans were unaware of this fact and instead worshiped the aliens as gods, which developed into Greek mythology and much of the basic values of Human civilization. Eventually, the Humans who had worshiped the gods turned from them, and finally the aliens left Earth for Pollux IV, where many of them eventually decided to end their own existence. It was only in 2267, when James T. Kirk and his crew made contact with Apollo, the last survivor of his kind, that Humanity learned that the ancient Greek gods were in fact extraterrestrial beings. The encounter resulted in the death of Apollo and probably the extinction of his species. ( ) Human-Klingon first contact In April of 2151, a small Klingon craft piloted by Klaang was returning to Qo'noS with evidence that Suliban Cabal was responsible for recent internal strife within the Klingon Empire. Klaang was pursued by members of the cabal and crash-landed on Earth in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Though Klaang managed to dispatch his pursuers, he was shot by a Human farmer named Moore. Against the urgings of the Vulcans, Earth Starfleet launched its first warp 5 vessel ''Enterprise'' NX-01 to return the wounded Klaang to Qo'noS. ( ) :It has been suggested that this event seen in "Broken Bow" actually took place in an alternate timeline created by agents from the future fighting in the Temporal Cold War. By this account, the interference of the temporal agents caused first contact between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire to occur before it was supposed to in the "real" ''Star Trek universe. This would certainly explain why this first contact and later Human-Klingon relations were apparently described differently in TNG's "First Contact".'' Human-Andorian first contact The first known contact between Humans and Andorians occurred accidentally in June of 2151 at the Vulcan monastery of P'Jem. The Andorian Empire believed that the Vulcan High Command had constructed a listening post at the monastery which was being used to spy on the Andorians, in violation of a treaty signed between the two, and had repeatedly sent officers of the Andorian Imperial Guard to search for it. One such search coincided with a visit by a landing party from the Enterprise NX-01 led by Captain Jonathan Archer. The Andorians, led by Commander Shran, mistakenly believed Enterprise to be a supply vessel for the listening post and took the landing party prisoner. Enterprise personnel would later attempt a rescue of the landing party. Though there were no fatalities during the resulting firefight, the Humans and Andorians stumbled upon the listening post deep below the monastery. Captain Archer's decision to allow the Andorians to leave with proof of the listening post would temporarily strain Earth-Vulcan relations, particularly after the Andorians later destroyed the monastery and listening post. It would, however, mark the beginning of a long-standing alliance between Earth and Andoria and a personal friendship between Archer and Commander Shran . ( ) Human-Akaali first contact First contact with the Akaali was made by Enterprise NX-01 in 2151. It was significant in that it was the first Human-initiated first contact. Despite the Vulcan advice not to contact the primitive Akaali homeworld, Captain Archer took a landing party to the surface. In doing so, the Enterprise uncovered a covert mining operation by the Malurians. ( ) Federation-Gorn first contact First contact with the Gorn took place in 2267, when they attacked the Federation colony on Cestus III. The Gorn saw the strike as a preemptive move, since they regarded the Cestus system as part of their territory. ( ) fires his makeshift cannon]] James T. Kirk was the first Federation officer to physically confront a Gorn following his pursuit of the their vessel in response to the attack on Cestus III. This pursuit alerted the attention of the Metrons, a highly advanced race who opposed conflict within their territory. They transported Kirk and the Gorn captain to a prepared planet and forced them to do battle there. This deed was meant as a punishment, but ultimately, Kirk spared the Gorn captain; the mercy displayed by Kirk's refusal caused the observing Metron to think of the conflict as a test, which Humans had passed. ( ) Federation-Ferengi first contact First contact with the Ferengi took place in multiple phases, with official contact not occurring until 2364. First contact between Humans and Ferengi actually occurred in 1947 in the United States, although knowledge of the incident was suppressed. ( ) In 2151, the Enterprise NX-01 was boarded by a single Ferengi ship and the crew sedated, excluding Commander Tucker. The Ferengi never identified themselves as such. ( ) In 2355, the [[USS Stargazer|USS Stargazer]] encountered a vessel of unknown origin in the Maxia Zeta system, which, unknown to the Federation, the Ferengi had claimed as their territory. Combat between the two vessels ensued, and it was here that Captain Jean-Luc Picard employed the now-famous Picard Maneuver to confuse and destroy the Ferengi Marauder. The Stargazer was also abandoned in the incident, and the enemy ship was not identified as Ferengi until 2364. ( ) Determinate first contact between the Ferengi and the United Federation of Planets occurred in 2364 in the Delphi Ardu system, where a Ferengi vessel and the USS Enterprise-D were trapped in orbit by a derelict outpost of the ancient Tkon Empire. ( ) : The reputation of Ferengi, however, had preceded them. Dialog in "Encounter at Farpoint" and "The Last Outpost" suggests knowledge of the Ferengi's mercurial nature and rumors of cannibalizing former business partners. Contact between the Ferengi and the UFP steadily increased to a level of significance, and only minor conflicts have since ensued. Federation-Borg first contact An accidental First Contact occurred in the 2150s. Due to the hostile nature of the Borg during the confrontation between the Borg and ''Enterprise'', along with the Borg's lack of stating their species, the contact wasn't noted as the first Federation-Borg first contact. ( ) Formal first contact with the Borg was forced upon the Federation by the entity known as Q, a member of the Q Continuum in 2365. ( ) (See also: Borg First Contact) Federation-Wadi first contact A Vulcan ship travelling through the Gamma Quadrant encountered a Wadi starship, initiating contact. An official meeting was developed in 2369 between the Wadi and the United Federation of Planets, with the meeting to occur on Deep Space 9. The Wadi starship with their representative Falow arrived at the station, marking the first Gamma Quadrant delegation to arrive in the Alpha Quadrant. Commander Benjamin Sisko led the contact, however, Falow and his crew were more interested in the gaming available in the Alpha Quadrant rather than an official meeting. ( ) Federation-Dominion first contact The Ferengi Alliance were the first Alpha Quadrant species to learn of the existence of the Dominion. This was achieved through the Dosi. The Federation then heard more about the Dominion when Skrreean refugees came through the Bajoran wormhole, having escaped the Dominion who had conquered the Skreean oppressors, the T-Rogorans. Odo and Jadzia Dax later learned that the Dominion had conquered the Yaderans in 2340. The Federation first made contact with them in late 2370, when Benjamin Sisko and Quark were taken prisoner. The [[USS Odyssey|USS Odyssey]] was later destroyed by the Dominion. Bajor-Cardassia first contact Ancient Bajorans first established contact between Bajor and Cardassia through the use of a Bajoran lightship. Although travelling at sublight speeds, the ship was eventually propelled by a tachyon eddy to warp, enabling the ship to bypass the hazards of the Denorios belt. Cardassian archaeologists claim the vessel's remnants were discovered on Cardassia Prime in 2371, coinciding with the arrival of Benjamin and Jake Sisko on a replica lightship. Cardassians had previously dismissed Bajoran claims of first contact as a "fairy tale", disputing that Bajorans achieved interstellar flight first. (DS9: "Explorers") Appendices Related topics *Malcorians *Mirasta Yale *Romulan *Tholian *Gorn *Vhnori *Vidiian *Gamma Trianguli VI *Drayan II de:Erstkontakt nl:Eerste contact sv:Första kontakt